Seoul's public transportation
Seoul is home to more than 10 million people, plus the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the city every year. Seoul's well-developed public transportation system, including buses, subways, high-speed trains and, of course, cabs, caters to this huge influx of people.
The metro services are the most affordable and convenient, especially since station names are duplicated in English. You can buy a fare card at any station from a vending machine (single and multi-trip cards).
Seoul has both regular and luxury taxis. Many cab drivers speak English quite well.
To reduce the cost of transportation in Seoul, we recommend using special passes - T-money, M-Pass and Seoul City Pass - rather than single-use cards. The cards are available for different periods of use (from 1 to 7 days), and the M-Pass offers additional discounts for attractions.
How public transportation works in Seoul: Tips for tourists
Bus routes are color-coded to help visitors understand them. Yellow buses run on central routes, blue buses go to outlying areas, green buses serve the suburbs, and red buses help you get from the center to the suburbs.
Seoul transportation: prices
A single adult subway ticket costs KRW 1,350 for cash and KRW 1,250 for T-money card.
Bus travel costs between 850 and 1500 KRW depending on the destination (30-50% cheaper for children).
Taxi fares for the first 2-3 km of the road cost from 1600 KRW and 100 KRW for each subsequent 100 meters. Travel outside the city and at night is charged at a higher rate. Branded cabs are equipped with simultaneous translation devices in several languages.
